STOP THIS NONSENSE...JUDGES BITE 3

Posted on: www.dailyguideghana.com

By William Yaw Owusu

Friday, June 28, 2013

Justice William Atuguba, President of the nine-member Supreme Court justices hearing the Presidential Election Petition said they would not allow people override the authority of the court.

“We won’t stop until all these nonsense are checked,” Justice Atuguba said yesterday when the court once again summoned three more people to appear before it for comments they purportedly made about the ongoing proceedings on various platforms.

The court has already cracked the whip on NPP Deputy Communications Director, Sammy Awuku, when it banned him from further attending the proceedings after it summoned him on Wednesday to render an apology for comments he made about the case on radio.

The people summoned to appear before the court to explain their purported contemptuous comments are Stephen Atubiga, a member of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and Kwaku Boahen, Ashanti regional NDC Organiser and Ken Kuranchie, Managing Editor of Daily Searchlight, a private newspaper.

The court took notice of the apology rendered by Mr. Awuku but said ‘in the tradition of politics’, some people were trying to portray themselves as being more powerful than the state and once the authority had been vested in the judiciary to control such people, they will not let the nation down.

Justice Atuguba said that even though Mr. Awuku rendered an apology, it appeared to the court he tried to justify his comment and said “If he wants a re-match we will arrange one for him.”

The court also mentioned the comments made by NDC Communication Team member Gabby Asumin who purportedly said there was going to be civil war if the court declared for the petitioners based on face of the pink sheets but said at the time he made the comment the court had not “drawn the final line.”

The court used reportage in The New Statesman, a private newspaper, which had quoted the Messrs Asumin, Atubiga and Boahen.

In the case of Mr. Atubiga, he reportedly stated on Asempa FM’s Ekosii Sen programme that the ruling party will not sit aloof and watch the Supreme Court hand over power to the opposition NPP.

He had said even if the NPP wins the court case; it will be "a bitter-sweet victory" because "Ghana cannot contain all of us", and added that that the foot-soldiers of the NDC are prepared to protect the presidency to the peril of their lives.

He added that they will not allow President John Mahama to hand over power even if the Supreme Court rules in favour of the petitioners.

In the case of Mr. Boahen, he purportedly said on Angel FM and Boss FM, both Kumasi-based private stations that his party was not going to sit down and allow the Supreme Court to overturn the results of the election in favour of the opposition NPP.

“Do you think NDC will sit aloof and watch the court hand over power to the NPP, never! It will never happen in Ghana and anyone can mark it on the wall,” he reportedly charged.

Mr. Kuranchie is said to have published a front page comment on Thursday, June 27, 2013 issue of the Daily Searchlight about the ongoing petition and the court deemed the publication unacceptable.

All the people are to appear on Tuesday.